Madhyamaheshwar

मध्यमहेश्वर

Shiva · Madmaheshwar

Swayambhu linga of black stone, worshipped as the navel or middle (madhya) of the bull-form Shiva

Mansoona, Ukhimath, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand · Shaiva tradition

The middle of the bull-form Shiva — his navel, or belly — is worshipped here as the fourth stop on the Panch Kedar circuit.

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Season
Main season: May – NovDates and caveats
Walking and access
No road reaches the temple; the processional route runs on foot from Ransi via Gaundar. More on access
Getting there
Train: RishikeshAir: Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

Told in: The Panch Kedar tradition, as published by the Shri Kedarnath Charitable Trust (Government of Uttarakhand)

The bull that would not be caught

The war at Kurukshetra is over, and the Pandavas have won it at the cost of their own kin. Krishna advises them to seek the blessings of Shiva and atone for the sins committed in the battle. They go to Kashi to find him.

Shiva does not want to be found. He is angered by the bloodshed, and he avoids the brothers: he takes the form of a bull — Nandi — and goes north into the Himalayas.

The Pandavas follow him there, and they recognise him in the bull. As they close in, the bull dives into the ground. Bhima catches hold of its tail and hind legs, but the bull vanishes all the same.

It does not come back whole. The body surfaces in parts across the Garhwal hills: the hump at Kedarnath, the arms at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madhyamaheshwar, and the locks and head at Kalpeshwar. These five sites are the Panch Kedar, and a pilgrim who walks the circuit visits the god one part at a time.

Madhyamaheshwar is the place of the middle of the body. The trust's account of the circuit names the belly; its page on this temple names the navel — the madhya that gives Madhyamaheshwar its name. The same page records the local tradition that the Pandavas built the temple, and Bhima in particular: the brother who had caught hold of the bull is remembered as the builder of its shrine.

Where this account comes from

In one minute

Why Madhyamaheshwar matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. The middle of the bull-form Shiva — his navel, or belly — is worshipped here as the fourth stop on the Panch Kedar circuit.

    3 sources for: The middle of the bull-form Shiva — his navel, or belly — is worshipped here as

  2. Press reports of the annual opening call it the Second Kedar, a local numbering that differs from the circuit order the temple committee gives.

    3 sources for: Press reports of the annual opening call it the Second Kedar, a local numbering
    • Press: The News Mill (ANI), "Uttarakhand: Doors of Shri Madhmaheshwar Temple open for pilgrims amid grand ceremonies", 21 May 2025 thenewsmill.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Social News XYZ (IANS), "Doors of Madmaheshwar temple open amid Vedic rituals, chanting of mantras in Uttarakhand", 21 May 2026 socialnews.xyz · seen 2026-10-09
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Each summer the movable image is carried in procession from its winter seat at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath, halting at Ransi and Gaundar before the doors open.

    2 sources for: Each summer the movable image is carried in procession from its winter seat at t
    • Press: The News Mill (ANI), "Uttarakhand: Doors of Shri Madhmaheshwar Temple open for pilgrims amid grand ceremonies", 21 May 2025 thenewsmill.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Social News XYZ (IANS), "Doors of Madmaheshwar temple open amid Vedic rituals, chanting of mantras in Uttarakhand", 21 May 2026 socialnews.xyz · seen 2026-10-09

  4. Tradition credits the Pandavas with building the temple, and Bhima in particular.

    Source for: Tradition credits the Pandavas with building the temple, and Bhima in particular

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

  • Sanctum

    Black stone linga

    The black stone linga in the sanctum, worshipped as Shiva's navel.

  • Detail

    Parvati and Ardhanarishvara shrines

    Two smaller shrines, one to Parvati and one to Ardhanarishvara, the half-Shiva, half-Parvati form.

  • Sculpture

    Marble Saraswati

    A marble image of Saraswati in a separate small temple.

    Where to stand: To the right of the main temple.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

We could not confirm the opening times from the temple’s own notice, so we are not printing any. Please check with the temple office or the devasthanam before you travel.

Before you go

  • No dress code or entry rules have been confirmed for this temple yet. Traditional, modest clothing is always the safe choice; ask at the entrance.

Walking, steps and access

Wheelchair: not wheelchair accessible

No road reaches the temple; the processional route runs on foot from Ransi via Gaundar. The temple committee mentions a 16 km uphill trek with pony and manchan (palanquin) service, but the passage sits ambiguously between its Madhyamaheshwar and Gaurikund entries. Closed in winter; open roughly six months from late May.

Getting there

  • By road: RansiThe utsava doli travels from Ukhimath via Ransi and Gaundar to the temple (ANI, 21 May 2025). Trek length from the roadhead not yet confirmed from an official page.
  • By train: Rishikesh
  • By air: Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun

Routes are general guidance and not yet checked against an official source.

Main pilgrimage months

The highlighted months are the season the temple’s sources point to. Exact opening and closing days change every year — check the dates before you book.

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May — recommended
  • Jun — recommended
  • Jul — recommended
  • Aug — recommended
  • Sep — recommended
  • Oct — recommended
  • Nov — recommended
  • Dec

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Opening of the doors

    May (21 May in 2025 and 2026)

    The utsava murti arrives from Ukhimath after halts at Ransi and Gaundar; the swayambhu linga is moved from its winter samadhi form into shringar, with nirvana and shringar darshan, and the doors open for about six months.

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. The middle of the bull-form Shiva surfaces here

    The Panch Kedar account of the site's origin. The tradition does not say in which yuga this happened.

    2 sources for: The middle of the bull-form Shiva surfaces here

  2. Temple built by the Pandavas

    Local tradition credits the Pandavas, and specifically Bhima, with building the temple.

    Source for: Temple built by the Pandavas

In the historical record

  1. Administered by the Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee

    The temple is on the committee's list of temples it manages alongside Badrinath and Kedarnath; the committee made the arrangements for the 2025 opening. When it came under the committee is not yet known.

    2 sources for: Administered by the Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The News Mill (ANI), "Uttarakhand: Doors of Shri Madhmaheshwar Temple open for pilgrims amid grand ceremonies", 21 May 2025 thenewsmill.com · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Temple

    Omkareshwar temple, Ukhimath

    Winter seat of Madhyamaheshwar's movable image.

  • Temple

    Rakeshwari temple, Ransi

    A halt of the doli on its way up to the temple.

  • Temple

    Kalpeshwar

    The next and last temple on the Uttarakhand Tourism Panch Kedar itinerary, where the locks and head are worshipped.

Also in Rudraprayag district

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Government: Shri Kedarnath Charitable Trust (Government of Uttarakhand), Places to Visit: Panch Kedar shrikedarnathcharitabletrust.uk.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Shri Kedarnath Charitable Trust (Government of Uttarakhand), Places to Visit: Madhyamaheshwar shrikedarnathcharitabletrust.uk.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: The News Mill (ANI), "Uttarakhand: Doors of Shri Madhmaheshwar Temple open for pilgrims amid grand ceremonies", 21 May 2025 thenewsmill.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Social News XYZ (IANS), "Doors of Madmaheshwar temple open amid Vedic rituals, chanting of mantras in Uttarakhand", 21 May 2026 socialnews.xyz · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Uttarakhand Tourism, Panch Kedar Circuit — itinerary Kedarnath → Tungnath → Rudranath → Madhyamaheshwar → Kalpeshwar, as recorded in circuits.json uttarakhandtourism.gov.in · seen 2026-09-18

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Madhyamaheshwar”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/madhyamaheshwar (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence